Musical strum and percussion controller

Abstract

A controller for musical instrument models is presented, comprising acoustic elements with embedded vibration sensors that the user actuates for example by plucking, strumming, or striking the elements. A vibration sensor attached to each acoustic element is used to generate an excitation signal for musical instrument models. A note input interface can be included so that note input such as MIDI can be used to control the musical pitch of the musical instrument models.

What is claimed: 
     
       1. A method of generating a musical sound comprising:
 Actuating an acoustic element; 
 Actuating a note input apparatus; 
 Sending a signal from the acoustic element to a sensor; 
 Sending a continuous audio signal from the sensor to a musical instrument model as an excitation signal; and 
 Sending note data from the note input apparatus to the instrument model as pitch information; 
 wherein the acoustic element is strummed over a corrugated surface; and 
 individual pluck signals from the sensor are separated and sent into separate musical instrument models. 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1  wherein individual pluck signals from the sensor are separated and converted into note output data. 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 1  wherein the strum direction is detected from the signal from the sensor and used to change parameters of the musical instrument models. 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 2  wherein the strum direction is detected from the signal from the sensor and converted into note output data. 
     
     
       5. A musical device comprising:
 An acoustic element; 
 a sensor; 
 a musical instrument model; 
 a note input device capable of accepting note on and off data; 
 the acoustic element in communication with the sensor; 
 the sensor configured to output a continuous audio signals; wherein 
 the excitation signal for the musical instrument model is a continuous audio signal received from the sensor; 
 the musical instrument model uses note on and off data from the note input device to determine pitch and decay time of the model; and 
 the musical instrument model can continue to be excited by the continuous audio signal from the sensor and produce audio output even after receiving a note off message from the note input device. 
 
     
     
       6. The device of  claim 5  wherein the acoustic element is a pluckable tine or pluckable string. 
     
     
       7. The device of  claim 5  wherein the musical instrument model is a physical model of a string instrument or percussion instrument. 
     
     
       8. The device of  claim 5  further comprising multiple acoustic elements wherein each acoustic element is in communication with a sensor and wherein the elements are arranged in close enough proximity to each other that they can be strummed by the user. 
     
     
       9. The device of  claim 8  further comprising a routing matrix wherein the inputs to the matrix are signal from the sensors and the outputs of the matrix are routed the to musical instrument models. 
     
     
       10. The device of  claim 9  wherein data from the note input device is used to determine the signal routing of the routing matrix. 
     
     
       11. The device of  claim 10  wherein the routing matrix routes signals from sensors to the musical instrument models in sequential order, where the order of the sensors is the sequential arrangement of their associated acoustic element and the order of the musical instrument models is the sequential order of the pitch currently assigned to each musical instrument model. 
     
     
       12. The device of  claim 5  further comprising a pluck signal separator wherein the pluck signal separator receives the signal from a sensor and outputs individual pluck signals each of which are routed to a musical instrument model. 
     
     
       13. The device of  claim 5  further comprising a strum direction detection apparatus, wherein the strum direction detection apparatus ascertains strum or pluck direction from a sensor and the strum or pluck direction to alter parameters of the musical instrument model. 
     
     
       14. The device of  claim 5  further comprising an audio looping apparatus wherein the audio looping apparatus outputs a looped continuous audio signal and wherein the excitation signal for the musical instrument model the looped continuous audio signal received from the audio looping apparatus. 
     
     
       15. The device of  claim 14  wherein the audio looping apparatus receives a continuous audio signal from the sensor. 
     
     
       16. The device of  claim 15  wherein the audio looping apparatus is capable of recording a segment of audio received from the sensor. 
     
     
       17. A musical device comprising:
 an audio looping apparatus; 
 an audio signal; 
 a note input device capable of accepting note on and off data; 
 a musical instrument model; wherein 
 the audio looping apparatus outputs the audio signal in a loop; 
 the excitation signal for the musical instrument model the looped signal received from the audio looping apparatuses; and 
 the musical instrument model uses note data from the note input apparatus to alter pitch and dampening parameters of the musical instrument model. 
 
     
     
       18. The device of  claim 12  further comprising a sensor in communication with a pluckable tine, strikeable object or pluckable string wherein the audio looping apparatus receives a continuous audio signals from the sensor. 
     
     
       19. The device of  claim 10  wherein the musical instrument model is a physical model of a string instrument or percussion instrument.